>> right now on "news nation." >> i'm pleased to be doing pretty darn well in the polls and the kind of support you saw here today. >> mitt romney, sounding confident. he will win iowa with four days to go. will his lead be shaken by a surprise win or rick santorum. what do voting rights, light bulbs and tanning beds have in common? they are new laws in 2012. with two days left of 2011, how to get tax breaks. viral inspiration. one young man's final message of hope. i'm richard louie for tamron hall. the "news nation" is couping down. the final 100 hours to the start

of the 2012 presidential vote. the leaderboard is still changing in this season. our poll out today shows mitt romney leads in iowa, but just barely. romney is favor by 23% of likely caucus goers and ron ball by 21 and rick santorum surging into 30 place at 15%. that's a nine-point gain in the last month. trailing we have rick perry at 14, newt gingrich at 13 and plunging 15 points in the last month. here's what front-runner mitt romney told andrea mitchell about his chances of winning on tuesday. >> i want to do well here. i don't think you can predict who will win in iowa. it's a state where you don't know who will come to the caucus and how they will make up their minds, but you hope to get to the delegates. >> let's start the statewide coverage with peter alexander who is covering the front-runner there. mitt romney is getting help from

a popular governor who you have been watching who is considered even at one point to enter the gop race himself. is he helping with his credibility? >> it's a good question. the goal for the romney campaign by bringing in the governor is to seal up the votes here in this state. chris christie is that straight talking man out of the northeast that may not have the same credentials of the people in this state are looking for. they talk in the language they want to hear and they think that mitt romney loosens up much the same way his wife and romney does. we racked up about 700 miles trying to chase him around the state. he is focused on the same places where he found support four years ago with 25% of the vote. he was bodily defeated by mike huckabee, but benefitted by the fact that the conservatives have not coalesced behind a specific

candidate. >> $10 million invested last time around. this time around they have been written about unparalleled. what are you seeing? >> in many ways it's rubbing that in. the only candidate who is fighting in both states here and in new hampshire tonight. he is going to be heading up here and arriving there for a spaghetti dinner event scheduled to happen after the national nightly newscast and will happen before them. a perfect photo op at the top of the broadcast. many people here are scrambling and saying hey, we feel strong about iowa and feel strong about new hampshire with the new polls showing he is widening the lead. for the first time they spent monobroadcast tv ads in the state of south carolina. the third state to vote that is now several weeks away. richard? >> peter alexander, 700 more to go. no doubt.

appreciate that. let's go to andrew rafferty with the rurnlging rick santorum campaign. we were showing the numbers a second ago. a name recognition problem despite his canvassing the state. he is up here, but that's a challenge for him. is it because he has not had a lot of tv ads? [ no audio ] . he can't get on the air or can't get radio ads and mailers. all the candidates who have more financial backing are making iowa voters familiar. the silver lining is that he has a strong base. he has the people who like him are strong in canvassing forums. that will translate likely to them coming out on caucus night despite bad weather and gold and the x factors that can influence the final results.

>> let's talk about the tea party vote. it is fairly fractured according to the information we have from the poll. nobody busting over 15 to 20%. that's in play at the moment. is santorum doing anything to court that vote? >> right nowy we have what he calls the social conservative caucus. you want to throw him in there and rick perry and bachmann. those are the people he really needs to beat out in order to get that momentum going into new hampshire. that tea party vote with the emphasis on fiscal responsibility. you see the perry ads taking shots at him with the earmarks. that's an appeal to the tea party saying he was a wasteful spender and he spent more than a decade in washington. that's why his weakness is. he is trying to overcome by stressing the values and hopefully glazing over some of those fiscal issues that don't play well with the tea party.

>> a lot up in play. no doubt including the evangelical vote too. thank you. now to the nbc news gingrich campaign. alex moe was there. the latest poll that we were showing, he is in fifth at the moment and 35% of like lie caucus goers saying he would not be acceptable as the gop nominee. >> that's right, richard. newt gingrich was not himself today. he had an event today in des moines and he was rather flat and not as enthusiastic. he told a few jokes, but giving that typical stump speech while here at java joey's. he had an emotional moments with memories with his mother. he was written off as dead back in the summer. we have seen him overcome these things before, but we are going to have to wait and see if caucus goers will get past the negative ads they see here in

mitt romney and the super packs and rick perry and ron paul. we will have to see if caucus goers are willing to allow them to go forward and see how he does in the early states. >> alex, thank you so much from java joe's. do mennico joins us now. let's talk more about that poll and we were just discussing newt gingrich and the huge plunge of 15 points from last month. is there a way back for him? does he have the money to fight to fire with fire when it comes to romney? >> probably not on both of those counts. he doesn't have the money and the campaign was saying as alex could have told you that south carolina is where they are starting to move as he told nbc's chuck todd. the big reason for romney's rise is the tea party support is split. you are seeing that all of the

social conservatives and the folks, those numbers are really all going to be split up. romney is in that mid 20s range and it might be enough for him if it continues to be split. a lot can happen and just think about where we were two days ago versus two days from now. we will see if a bunch of people maybe start to coalesce around rick santorum or rick perry. the money might be on rick perry if they might have someone to coalesce around. this is a state about organization. rick perry has the money and the team and the ability in that way to be able to maybe coalesce those people. the problem is that those debates are still a bad taste in a lot of mouths of caucus goers. >> looking at the fractioning of the non-mitt romneys, the poll showing a 46% of likely voters in iowa saying they identify with the tea party, but when they were asking who they

support, it is very much divided up. it seems as if the timing for mitt romney as he took a step back earlier on coming in in the last couple of weeks may have worked out well for him because that allowed these second tier candidates, if you will, to go at each other and develop personal attacks and perhaps vendettas along the way. >> i don't think any of us thought we would see the merry go round we have seen. most of the us thought you would see one clear anti-romney merge. the romney folks thought that to be honest. if they didn't think that, they would have played here harder sooner. once herman cain started to rise in the polls and then saw newt gingrich, they thought gingrich has the potential to challenge them long-term. what the pro romney super pack did and not helping them win as much as absolutely make sure

newt gingrich could not make it out of iowa. he was one person they thought they could go the long haul and they have done their job. mitt romney found themselves saying you know what, we could win this thing. >> we still have 100 hours. >> people get to vote and it's always an exciting time. people will actually get to vote. >> thanks. and a program note, "meet the press" will be live in iowa. david gregory will interview rick santorum. check your local listings for times. republicans fight it out next tuesday accident president obama will meet with supporters here via the internet. he will be holding a webcast on tuesday during the caucus vote. white house correspondent kristen welker is in hawaii where the president is vacationing. there is breaking news from there in hawaii concerning

raising the nation's debt limit. >> we had expected president obama to inform them to increase the debt limit. it's within about $100 billion ceiling. the congressional leaders asked them to delay his request by a few days. why? technically congress has 15 days to respond and they won't be back from recess within 15 days. the president is going to delay his formal request by a few days so that he will give congress those 15 days to respond. we believe it's likely that house republicans will try to block the measure to increase the debt limit. that's really just a formality. ultimately the debt ceiling will be increased.

the treasury department will make up for that $100 billion through account maneuvering they are going to do. so the white house is insistent that this will not ultimately impact the nation's credit rating. >> let's go back to what we started about. about the webcast and counter programming in our lingo. >> yes, absolutely. if republicans are going to the polls for the first time next tuesday, if they are actually going to be weighing in on this race, the obama reelection teams sees this as an opportunity to really organize and to ramp up the ground game so the president is going to hold some web conferences and talk to folks in iowa. he carried iowa back in 2008. this is a state that means quite a lot to the obama team. the president is not involved in the primaries right now, but this is a reelection year for him so he is not going to sit on the corners either.

vice president joe biden will hold a similar web conference on the night of the new hampshire primary and we expect president obama to head to that big battle ground state of iowa on january 4th. the republicans are in full gear in their primary season. we are seeing the obama reelection team starting to ramp up. >> they have a big footprint in iowa as you and i both know. thank you, kristen in hawaii with the president. >> thanks, richard. >> a new year brings new laws and one has to do with light bulbs. >> i have been in iraq and afghanistan unscathe and i come home and i'm full of holes. >> a marine survives to come home and face a different kind of danger. counting down to 2012. times square's ball gets ready for the big moment at the stroke of midnight. with the capital one venture card

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>>. >> the obama administration is considering releasing a peace deal with afghanistan. this man here has been held at get mow since 2002 and allegedly killed thousands between 1998 and 2001. the potential transfer is prompting criticism from lawmakers on the hill and intelligence officials. new light bulbs and instant raises and a ban on tanning beds. 40,000 laws were passed across the country in 2011 according to the national conference of state

legislatures. many of these will take effect as soon as the ball drops on new year's day. pete williams joins me from washington, d.c. with a list of the laws we should be looking out for. i guess you will not do all 40,000, but one of the things is the light bulbs. what's the latest? >> i am going to do all 40,000 in alphabet cal order. that was to have been the day that the 100 watt incandescent light bulb can no longer be made in the u.s. people who want that were light would have to choose floresents or hool jens. just before leaving town, congress pushed back the deadline to october. when it kicks in, stores can still sell the existing stocks at 100 watts, but after they are gone, no more. new laws that go into effect require some voters in this year's elections to show photo

id before getting a ballot. kansas, texas and tennessee are the latest to restrict them. five other states already do. rhode island and new hampshire will ask for them, but allow voting if other identification is provided. the more than 60 million american who is get social security are in for a cost of living increase on the first of the year. that will be about $450 more for the entire year. eight states will raise minimum raise. san francisco will be the first city to raise the minimum wage above $10. it will go to $10.24 an hour, $3 higher than the federal minimum. the commercial truck and bus drivers will face stiff fine fist they use hand held cell phones at the wheel. as of the new year, you mentioned tanning beds that. law goes into effect in california and puts them off limits to

anyone under 18. california becomes the first state to bar minors from using them. skin cancer has become an epidemic with young women. >> so many laws that will be instituted in 2012. as we look forward, there is probably going to be issues about how quickly they can implement many of the laws as they look forward to the year. >> the voter id is interesting. there won't be elections on the first of the year. in some states where the justice department has to approve them, for example, such as texas where they have to preclear any change in voting procedures, there could be a controversy. the justice department said it's going to fail to preclear the south carolina strict law and south carolina officials said they will go to court over that. we will see about the battles over that. this is a raging debate and republicans say photo ids are needed to control voter fraud, but voter fraud is say myth that there is not much of and the

laws are intended to suppress vote turn out among the minority and elderly students and people who don't have the photo id. >> if anyone can break down 40,000 laws, it would be you. >> we will get to be in the next hour. >> congressional approval leaders got it right this year. we will talk to him about 2011's highs and lows in washington. plus -- >> the older you are the more mature you can be. >> a message from an 18-year-old boy that has gone viral after his death. [ male announcer ] drinking a smoothie with no vegetable nutrition?

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one final video message from a texas teen is touching lives all over the world. 18-year-old ben recently lost

his battle with a deadly heart condition and it's not before sharing his deepest thoughts in struggles in a video that has gone viral. it leaves behind a legacy of warmth and hope and outshines the tragedy of his death. >> thanks for watching on casual wednesday. >> ben had a loyal fan base on you tube giving advice on everything from life -- >> i'm here to give you all the information and facts. >> to love -- >> the older you are, the more mature you can be about it. >> a lively 18-year-old who faced a battle of his own. >> it's called hyper trophic cardio myopathy. i have a pacemaker. >> a heart condition known as hcm he had fought his entire life. >> he was always happy and always smiling. he never complained about his heart condition. >> hearsay energy and endurance rivalled that of a normal

teenager. >> i'm not limited on anything, but i may have -- i have to go in for check ups and stuff, but other than that it's not a big problem. >> doctor you knew his heart couldn't keep up. on christmas day, his heart stopped. but his message didn't. it turned out that ben had secretly recorded a silent video a week before he died. it's a powerful message set to music and told on flash cards. a life-long struggle with a failing heart. he cheated death not once, but three times. the first time at age 4. he recently collapsed at school. his heart just stopped beating. ben was taken to the emergency room where he wrote that he saw a light white and his favorite rapper. >> i'm not sure why jesus didn't show up, but i will go with that. telling the truth of his near death experience, ben still smiles, a brave young man at peace with his destiny.

>> ben opened a door to think about something many people have never thought about before. that to me is a wonderful gift. >> at ben's funeral thursday friends and family honored his live and silent message. >> for seems like more than coincidence, the timing and how ben's message is now going literally to millions of people. >> a flash card worth a thousand words and a wisdom way beyond his years. >> that was tamron hall reporting. more than two million people have viewed ben's view including kid cuddy who wrote that ben's vision of him warmed his heart. we'll be right back. streaming quotes, any way you want. fully customize it for your trading process -- from thought to trade, on every screen. and all in real time. which makes it just like having your own trading floor, right at your fingertips.

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here's what "news nation" is following right now. the good and the bad. we all know how washington failed to get things done, but it wasn't all bad news. we will look at what went right. the government launches a

hotline for detainees who believe they are u.s. citizens or victims of a crime. >> each year the 12 have one young man. >> we have the scoop on the most anticipated albums in 2012. endless vacation. a business offers employees unlimited days off as long as they get their work done. is this a good idea? when it comes to lawmakers, what were the past year's biggest triumphs and failures from the government? i'm joined by ed o'keefe from "the washington post" and the author of the federal eye blog and here to give us their take on what the government got right and the biggest oops of 2011 so far. let's talk about the good list. what did they do right? >> topping the list is disaster response. fema had a banner year. you talk to democrats and know ares and lawmakers from all over

who dealt with the disasters, 11 topped $1 billion. fema did a fantastic job responding ahead of the storm and providing a disaster relief as quickly as possible to the victims. if you think back a few years to how it performed after hurricane katrina, to say that fema has bipartisan praise. >> government waste? >> that was another big issue on improper payments and people who had medicare and medicate and took tax credits and the irs hasn't stopped them, it's a shrinking problem to its credit. the obama administration has been doing a lot to find this wasteful spending and cut down on it. it's a test of reporters and other who is keep tabs to make sure the numbers drop in the new year. they have done a good amount of cutting or made plans to cut. >> with some of the other positive things you wrote about

is the freedom of information act and they're more efficient when it comes to that. >> agencies overall are granting freedom of information act requests at a healthier clip than in the past. that is part of a growing trend to cut backlogs of all sorts whether it's veterans waiting for benefits and people trying to get social security payments and backlogs through the better use of technology. they are being cut. that's definitely a good thing. >> that's the good stuff. a list of four good things. on the oops list, huh something like nine. i will bring up one of them. you are saying that when it comes to the landfill, the issue of troops remains being found in a landfill, that was a big no-no. >> this was the big issue at the mortuary scandal that happened between 2004 and 2008. hundreds of remains of service members killed overseas were dumped in a landfill and body

parts were misplaced as an awful story and an example of how they dropped the ball, keeping their share of the commitment that the troops make to the country. >> also you heard response when is it came to the shutdowns. we are talking about the government shutdowns every other month. >> about every six week and that meant that federal agencies had to be on watch to close down. they were not able to do the actual job. government is supposed to be function skpk several times they almost did it. that is a big oops of 2011. >> good and bad stuff for the government. thank you so much. >> good to be with you. >> down to the final 90 minutes of trading for the year. the hours across the board. the dow is down about 56 and change. about half a percent. the s&p 500, we are watching that. that has been up and down and the nasdaq is also ticking down, i believe, it's this hour.

cnbc's bob pisani is there and there the red arrows. the dow will be up for the year. look at 2009 and 2010, we might see another positive year. >> the s&p is basically flat. we are luck to get it flat on the year. you look at europe and we were down 20% in the markets there. china was down 22%. brazil was in double-digits. the u.s. outperformed for a good reason. our economy is doing better than the rest of the world. let's hope it continues. >> we are looking good. what about the nasdaq and that is very tech-heavy. >> the problem here is it was a tough fourth quarter. evidence of a slow down in orders. most of the big u.s. tech companies are global. all of these big company, they get 50 or 60% of the revenues outside the upper. europe is slowing down and impacting the companies. >> they are hiring a lot and doesn't seem to sink. >> they are doing very well in

california, but a lot of them are start ups relatively. the big companies and the sap's of the world. they are big establishments and had the influence in the stock markets. they are global. slower. >> let's talk about the best stocks. want a hamburger? >> mcdonald's has simply superb. one of the finest management teams in the united states. example, people want a fancier coffee. they gave it to them even though they had to pay. who wants a salad bar in a mcdonald's. they put it in and it worked. people wanted more breakfast choices and they gave it to them. executed across the lane in 2011. >> you would not expect it. you would think kentucky fried chicken would have done it. they are growing. >> how about banks. bank of america was the worst performer and all were terrible. huge amounts of regulation going on. they can't grow. there is not a lot of loan growth and they are hobbled by a

lot of bad mortgage loans. another tough year and hopefully we will start to see the end of the -- light at the end of the tunnel. after surviving the most dangerous war zones, one marine said he never thought he would come under attack. that tops the look at stories. lieutenant colonel was shot while trying to sell a gold necklace that his fiance advertised online. he was hit times and then he said he put his fingers inside the wounds to stop the bleeding with his fiance at his side in the hospital. he told savannah guthrie he had certain military experience helped him save his life. >> for not the training, the experiences i had able to meet and maintain my wherewithal and apply direct pressure to the

wounds and go back to my children which were about 50 yards away. quite a distance i had to cover to go back to them and i told the man that called 911, i know the ambulance is coming, but i have to go take care of my children. >> amazing. he is expected be to make a full recovery. two men are charged with attempted murder. today's dress rehearsal for the new year. times square went on without a hitch. organizers started inflating thousands of balloons that will be handed out to the revelers. million people will be in times square when the clock strikes midnight on sunday. more than a billion others are expected to tune in there. coming up, still time to donate to charity and take advantage of the end of the year tax breaks, but how do you know if you are choosing a reputable charity? we will talk about how it make sure your money is going to the right place. first here, there is a lot going on today and here are things we thought you should know. a new population projection

shows the u.s. will have nearly 313 million people ringing in the new year. that's a .7% increase from new year's day 2011. factoring in the rate of births, deaths and migrations, one person is expected to be added to the population every 17 seconds. they announced a creation of a new hotline for immigration detainees. suspected illegal immigrants can call this toll-free number and ask questions about their right fist they claim to be u.s. citizens or are victims of a crime. tennessee state representative g.a. hardaway is asking to be drug tested, he said lawmakers should be required to take the same test of welfare recipients and said he will file if the welfare issue comes up when the general assembly convenes on january 10th. those are the things we thought you should know. when you have tough pain, do you want fast relief?

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>> i'm ezra kline for martin bashir. we will raise a glass to toast and look ahead to 2012. the best and worst for the campaign trail. the economy and more. when i said raise a glass, i meant show you a graph. cheers to that. >> we will raise a graph for you. giving a charity is welcomed all year, but there is an added incentive to get donations in before the new year. tax breaks. simply put. how do you ensure you are making the most of your charitable dollars? we are joined by our media relations director for the relief organization. we will give you tips here. we should look at track records. >> you have to look at time-wise first of all. we have got until tomorrow night at midnight to get it taken care of. the track record is one of the biggest track records.

the past, present, and future. easy to break it down. how long that organization has been around and where they have been working in your area and if they had a good history. are they being innovative. >> are they on the ground. experience an innovation you say matters. >> sure. you want to make sure it's somebody who is a thought leader in that line of work. >> does that show they will last longer and be more steady in the space they r doing? you have to ask questions and be interested and curious donator. >> exactly. ask questions like will this meet the tax deduction requirements. go to irs.gov and see if they qualify. there was another website called charity navigator.org and they do the only homework for you. they break it down to 55 different organizations and rate them according to how effective they are.

>> we love social media and it can be a useful tool to see what the fans are saying when and what the biggest critics are saying. >> that's where you have a lot of information. >> we all know that this is our big season. half of all donations are given between thanksgiving and new year's. they know this too. you will see a prevalence with scam artists. don't give your information over e-mail. if you have concerns, go to give.org and you can see what their contact numbers are and give a charitable donation. >> great stuff. happy new year to you as well. >> you too. >> we have your 2012 guide for what not to say ever again and the most anticipated pop culture events for the new year. courtney hazlett has the day off. let's go to kim serafin.

amazing. >> i will warn you and apologize because derg this seg am i will use the word amazing. it never has been on the list before. i don't think this is that bad. it's not terrible, but they are the words that are misused over used. gigantic or ginormous. when you can't find a big enough word. baby bump. >> this is not going to go away because there so many celebrity pregnancies and you know kate middleton is out there. we will notice that baby bump. that is never going away. >> i like man cave, occupy which is something we have been. >> do you have a man cave? >> do i. it's not clean, but it is a man cave. >> it's this sanctuary for men. >> you never heard of it? >> they talk about it on home

improvement shows and sitcoms. you don't know the exact definition. people use it for a million different reasons and not for the exact reason. >> you will hear it again no doubt. >> occupy too. >> the most anticipated. >> hunger games in terms of movies. that is topping everything poll. even more than the final twilight movie. everyone wants to see this. it's a hugely popular book and will be the next twilight or harry potter. it not only has lesser named people, but donald sutherland and woody harrellson and a huge book. amazing. it will be amazing. >> it will be dialled in and there is nicky minaj. >> a huge star with her new second album coming out. expect more songs like that. >> what else are we looking for? the bad man 15? >> the third final bat man and

christopher nolan series. we will get to see ann hathaway as cat woman that will bring in more viewers and more attendees at the movie. >> let's finish it off with mad men and howard stern. >> mad men. it feels like since 1960s. since october of 2010. back on the air and we left off with don draper and he was getting married to the secretary. who knows what the season will bring. a lot of people excited about that and to end with howard stern on "america's got talent," a lot of controversy around this and a lot of people really excited. he's a guy who will give his opinion and tell you what he thinks. he is never going to hold back. that will be amazing. >> he needed the money. what to look for in 2012 to get us all dialled in when it comes to pop culture. thank you. for the latest, all you have to do is go to scoop.today.com or

be a fan on facebook as well. what would you do if you had unlimited vacation? one company is offering employees just that. does it sound too good to be true? details in the gut check. you can join the "news nation" on facebook. we are at facebook.com/"news nation." ... and i quit smoking with chantix. knowing that i could smoke during the first week was really important to me. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix is proven to help people quit smoking. chantix reduced my urge to smoke -- and personally that's what i knew i needed. [ male announcer ] some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these, stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these, stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems, tell your doctor if you have new or worse symptoms.

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>> per a reminder to join the "news nation" on twitter. find our twitter page@"news nation." time for the gut check. are you overworked, burned out and in need of a vacation. maryland-based company is offering a unique perk. unlimited vacation. wedding wire writes on the website, we want you to have a life so our vacation policy is simple. take what you need. can you believe that? joining us with more is the director of rule an resources, jenny harding. i was reading your website and thinking this has to be a typo unless you can say i can take six months off. it's natural that you would make

that leap. a lot of people have. the policy is like any other vacation policy out there. you still have to make sure you get your job done and have to schedule the time with your supervisor. it works the same, you just don't have this bucket of time that you have to draw your time from. >> what have you found? have your employees taken advantage of this policy or are they away more than they were before? >> we have only started to institute it as of minute or tuesday when we get back to the office. 2012 will be the launch time. we slowly let ourselves get to this place. in 2011 at the beginning of the year, we granted the entire year's worth of vacation time to all of our employees at the beginning of the year. >> where do you draw the line? when they sit down and say i would like to take off six months as i was saying earlier, how are you going to say no, you can't do that? >> the crux of it is, the way

our business works, we have highly collaborative teams of employees and the absence of a six-month period of time would prevent from you being able to get your job done. at the same time we don't want to be able to say you can't take three weeks off for the honeymoon in june and not have time off around the holidays to spend with your newlywed. >> why did you start this? it sounds like something out of california from the dot-comes out there. did you think you might have more output? >> there is that obviously. we want to have a happy employee and because they are more productive. we are competing for the talent in this area and we want to attract world class talent to the business. if this means somebody might relocate to the washington area to work for a bethesda-based company, we would love to be competitive. in that same market with the dot-comes. >> they have the restaurants and all the valet services and the

cars and the masseuses. they also may be looking at the study. we were looking into this. expedia put out a study that shows how much vacation folks are taking around the world. you can see our european breath ren get almost twice as much as we do, although we get less here, we don't take it all. >> that's true. >> that is something we found giving vacation at the beginning of the year, people ended up with big balances at the end of the year. not only -- >> why? >> i think that for one, people work differently. at least in our company. if you are going to be going to the dentist through the day, you are not counting that against your vacation because you work later when you get back or make it up during the week. people weren't taking vacation time as much to do errands and to schedule with their spouses. we already had a flexible work schedule. the chunks of time that people weren't taking to be away, we

were a smaller company and everybody has big responsibilities. >> jenny, thank you so much and i will see you at the beach vacation and i am as well. >> sounds great. >> what are does your gut tell you. will this work? go to facebook to vote on that. take a look at what the "news nation" is saying. which an ethnic studies program be banned for allegedly promoting racial resendment? a whopping 91% said no. that does it for this friday edition of "news nation." i'm richard louis for tamron hall. that's up next. you have a great new year. havina ha hais such a bles. not financially. so we switched to the bargain detergent, and i found myself using three times more than they say to and the clothes still weren't as clean as with tide. so we're back to tide. they're cuter in clean clothes. that's my tide. what's yours? yeah, our low prices are even lower. we need to teach her how to walk. she is taking up valuable cart space. aren't you, honey?

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